One of the big events this year in Milan aside from the Milan Design Week was the opening of the first Starbucks Roastery location in Italy. Discover more about this new coffee establishment that has taken many Italians by surprise.

The fact that its a Roastery location makes this establishment very different from a typical Starbucks coffee shop. This space was built and designed with the intention of giving its visitors and customers a more upscale experience.

Its location is definitely eye-catching too, it being the historic Poste building in Piazza Cordusio. This space, which has 2,300-square-metres (25,000-square-foot), couldn’t have a more refined entry with the beauty of Milan’s gothic architecture showing all its glory.

Once inside the Starbucks Roastery customers can experience small-batch roastings of rare and exotic coffees from 30 countries. Not only that, but they can also admire one particular centerpiece that definitely makes this Starbucks special.

We are referring to a 22-foot tall bronze roasting cask. This allows people to catch a glimpse of the process behind the making of the coffee. And we should point out that the fact that this structure is made out of bronze is a clear reflection and homage to an element very present in Milan’s design and architecture.

The interior colors of the Roastery are vibrant and very much an allusion to Italian (or more specifically Milan’s) design and architecture. A great example of this being its mosaic floor inspired by a technique used in the north of Italy while including marble in its composition, a material notably used in places such as the Duomo of Milan and buildings located in the surrounding Piazza.